Detroit (MI) Cass Tech defensive end Andre Carter makes no secret of the fact that he would love to grab an offer from Lovie Smith and the Fighting Illini.

Carter was in Champaign for a visit on Saturday, along with several of the Illini's targets in the class of 2018.

"Meeting coach Lovie was pretty great," Carter said. "He's a cool dude and he keeps it real. I think he will make the program great and I'd love to be a part of it."

With over a dozen offers so far, Carter is hoping to add Illinois in the near future.

"I believe I'll hear something sooner that later," Carter said.

Offers so far include Boston College, Cincinnati, Iowa State, and others.

The visit to Illinois went very well. Should the Illini staff choose to extend an offer, Illinois would likely jump to the top of Carter's list of schools.

"I would a major thing for me that stood out was they care about education and not just football," Carter said about his Illinois visit. "I love the fact that they're like a family. When I look at a program that's a main thing that I like to see."

Carter said he also spent some talking to defensive line coach Mike Phair. According to Carter, Phair likes his combination of size and athleticism.

Some other visits are in Carter's plans.

"School I've been chatting it up with lately and plan on visiting are Minnesota, Virginia,Indiana, Mizzou, and Kentucky," Carter said.

Look for Carter to also be back in Champaign later this spring.

"Add Illinois to that list because I'll be cause be back soon," Carter said. "I really enjoyed myself there."